NG 675

New game 675 is now available.


Round 1: D A O N S L E C I

I had SAND, SALON, LOANED, DENIALS, CANDLES, and CELADONS (CELADON being a pale green colour, and also a type of porcelain of that colour).  After time I wrote down DECANOLS (alcohol molecules with ten carbon atoms), but checking revealed that the Macquarie does not list it.  Oh, well.

The other eights in this mix are INCLOSED and DIOCESAN / OCEANIDS (OCEANID: "an ocean nymph").

As an aside, this same mix turned up in episode 39.

My selection: CELADONS


Round 2: T C T A G S O E M

I had TACT, COAST, and COTTAGES.

COTTAGES is the only eight, and the best to be done.  The sevens are COTTAGE, TOMCATS, COMATES / CAMOTES (CAMOTE being a variant spelling of KAMOTE, a Philippine English term for a sweet potato), and COSTATE ("bearing ribs").

My selection: COTTAGES


Round 3: Target 475 from 100 50 25 6 4 10

I started with 475 = 4*100 + 50 + 25, then considered the option of 19*25 to get 475 = (100/4 - 6)*25.  Finally I found the shorter option of 475 = 10*50 - 25.

My selection: 475 = 10*50 - 25


Round 4: S E H A O D F E R

I had SHEA, SHOE, SHADE, FOREHEADS, FOREHEAD, and HEADERS.  After time I noted another seven of FEDORAS.

The other eight in the mix is SOREHEAD.  The other sevens are ADHERES / SHEARED, RESHOED, and SHEAFED.

My selection: FOREHEADS


Round 5: P E N G L N R E U

I had GLEN, LUNGE, wondered about LUNGER (not valid), and PLUNGER.

PLUNGER is the only seven.  The sixes are PLUNGE, UNREEL, GUNNER, GULPER, REGLUE, REPUGN ("to resist"), RUNNEL ("a small channel, as for water"), GUNNEL (variant spelling of GUNWALE: "the upper edge of a vessel's or boat's side"), PENNER ("a shearing-shed hand employed to keep the shearer's pens [...] supplied with sheep"), and PUGREE (alternative spelling of PUGGAREE: "(in India) a light turban").

My selection: PLUNGER


Round 6: Target 342 from 50 100 8 8 2 2

The target is 18*19, but that seemed difficult to use directly.  I flailed around for a bit, and wrote down the fallback two off 340 = 8*(50 - 8) + 2*2.  Then I decided to focus on the standard method, since the offset of 8 was available, and found 342 = (8/2)*100 - 50 - 8.  A little later I saw the alternative of 342 = (8 - 2/2)*50 - 8.

My selection: 342 = (8 - 2/2)*50 - 8


Round 7: W I A O R C X O M

I had CROW, CAROM, MICRO, MACRO, and MIAOW.

Indeed, five is the limit on this poor mix.  The others are AXIOM and MICRA (a plural of MICRON).

My selection: MIAOW


Round 8: Target 279 from 75 3 4 6 2 6

The target is 9*31, which is also 3*93.  I tried the latter first to get 279 = (75 + 2*6 + 6)*3, then a bit afterward realised that working down from 300 was easier: 279 = 4*(75 - 6) + 3.

My selection: 279 = 4*(75 - 6) + 3


Round 9: UNUSED DUB

All those U's can be a bit distracting, but this has lots of useful fragments: UN-, -ED, SUB-, and it turns out that all participate.

My selection: UNSUBDUED (9.4s)